Modern Woman
by penwhiz24
Summary: The story of Pride and Prejudice, exactly as it unfolds in the novel... but set in modern times! Read about Lizzy and Darcy's epic struggle to find love and respect for each other in the 21st century! My first fanfiction, please review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Mr. Bennet was sitting in his study, going over several stacks of papers when his wife burst in, wearing the most eager and frightening look he had ever seen on her face. Obviously, something very exciting had happened. More likely than not, this crazed look in her meant the arrival of some young man or another. This theory worked quite well for Mr. Bennet. After all, he knew that his wife was just as boy-crazy as his youngest daughters, Linda and Kate.

"Oh, Tom! You won't believe what's happened!" She said breathlessly. She waited for a few seconds, obviously hoping that her husband would ask her the obvious question. When he didn't, she continued. "Oh, there is a family that just moved into the mansion down the road. Apparently they have a son about Jane's age, seventeen, I think. Charles Bingley. They're so rich and he's supposed to be devastatingly handsome! Oh, dear me, I can barely keep myself from bursting with excitement! What a wonderful thing for our girls!"

Tom Bennet lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. He had never understood his wife's mind (not that he had ever tried very hard to) and this incident was no exception. In other words, he had no idea how any young man could be of any real significance to his girls.

"What do you mean, Fanny?" He finally asked. "How does this affect them?"

"Oh, Tom, you big tease!" Fanny giggled in a very girlish manner. "You know that our girls are the prettiest in the town, Jane being the prettiest of them all. Who's to say that he won't fall in love with one of them? They're at the age where falling in love happens and Jane is reaching the point where she could get into a serious relationship that could lead to marriage..."

"My God, woman!" Mr. Bennet exclaimed, "Jane's only just seventeen!"

"Oh, for God's sake, Tom. I know she's only seventeen!" Fanny now sounded exasperated. "But, who knows? One of the girls may really fall in love with him and if he has the same feelings, who's to say that it won't end up in marriage? Tom, you must come with me to visit him! I have just made him a welcome-to-the-neighborhood cake that I should deliver."

"This I won't do. If you want to meet this 'Charles Bingly'" Mr. Bennet formed quotes with his index and middle fingers, as if to imply that Charles Bingley's name was only supposedly so, "Then you will go alone. Or take the girls with you. Then you could set your plan in action much more quickly that expected."

"Don't be such a tease, Tom!" Mrs. Bennet's voice was growing uncommonly high-pitched, making her sound more and more like a wailing siren. "You know perfectly well that I can't go alone! It would be strange! They're intellectuals, these people, they would be interested in meeting you, the English professor with a PHD! Please, do this for your girls."

But still Mr. Bennet refused to go.  
"Oh, Tom!" Mrs. Bennet screeched. "Sometimes you really give no thought to my feelings!"

"Fanny, you know that's not true." Mr. Bennet patted his wife's hand with a strange little smile. "Ever since we met- in high school- you have taught me to always be very aware of your feelings. If twenty years of marriage have taught me anything, it is to always be conscious of your feeling but not always do what will appease them."

This obviously meant that the conversation was closed. Mrs. Bennet was fuming while her husband took out his blackberry and began to play 'brick-breaker'. Mrs. Bennet only wanted one thing in life- to see all her daughters happily settled romantically. She missed having babies around the house which was why she was eager to have grandchildren. She figured most of the time, with her old fashioned view on marriage, that she would have been better off being born in the nineteenth century. But, alas, she was stuck in the twenty-first century with a husband who did not seem to care about his daughters and who preferred a video game over calming his wife's nerves. But Mrs. Bennet was not about to give up so easily. She planned to mope and wail as much as possible to get Tom to come with her to meet the Bingleys. If, by the following day, he still refused to come, she would go by herself and that would be the end of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is my very first fanfic so please review and tell me what you think! Darcy will come in the next chapter...yay!**

**Also, I don't own this, even though I wish I did, it's all Jane Austen. What isn't hers is mine.**

Chapter Two

Despite what his wife thought, Mr. Bennet had been the very first person to visit the Bingleys. Being an English professor who loved his job, Mr. Bennet was more interested in meeting the Bingleys because they had written one of his favorite books rather than for the fact that Charles Bingley may 'fall in love with one of his daughters'. Mr. Bennet had not told as much to his wife for the simple fact that he found it amusing to see her lose her temper.

The day after Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's little argument, all of the Bennets with all five daughters, were seated in the living room. His second oldest daughter, Lizzy, was busy writing what he supposed was a poem.

"You are writing that for Mr. Bingley, are you?" Mr. Bennet said to Elizabeth, "I'm sure he'll like it very much."

Before Lizzy had a chance to reply, Fanny Bennet had done so for her. "Oh, please, Tom, stop. We don't know _what_ Charles Bingley likes since you won't visit him."

"Mom, please." Lizzy rolled her eyes. She had always had very little patience with her mother. "Charlotte told me that she's inviting him to their barbecue next week. We'll all be able to meet him then."

Mrs. Bennet made no reply but instead sighed dramatically. Her husband was being impossible. For this reason, she looked for a scapegoat to vent her anger on.

"Please, Kate, for heaven's sake, stop clicking that stupid pen! I'm already at the edge of my sanity here! Nobody ever thinks about my peace of mind." She finally exclaimed. Kate, the second youngest daughter, had the bad habit of clicking her pen when she was bored.

"Kate has the right to click the pen if she wants to," Mr. Bennet protested. "After all, this is a free country. What do you think, Mary? You're always throwing around quotes by Jefferson and Franklin and other giants in history."

Mary, the third youngest and third oldest daughter wanted to say something very smart in reply but nothing came to her.

"While Mary is thinking of something clever," Mr. Bennet continued, "Why don't we talk about Charles Bingley again."

He had the pleasure of hearing his wife scoff in disgust. "Oh, please, Tom. Don't talk of Charles Bingley ever again. I hate the very sound of his name."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at this. She was sure that her mother would be back to loving the sound of Charles Bingley's name if only her father would agree to go visit him with her.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." Mr. Bennet replied, a wide grin breaking across his face. "If I had known that you felt this way I wouldn't have gone to visit him."

An astounded silence followed before all five girls and Mrs. Bennet, the latter being the loudest of them all, cheered and began to kiss Mr. Bennet on the cheek.

"Oh, Tom, you big tease! I knew you'd already met him all along!" Fanny cried. "Aw, you always loved playing jokes on us! Ha, ha! You would never neglect something that would be fruitful for our daughters! You're such a good father! Isn't he a wonderful father, girls?"

Though Tom Bennet did not usually show pleasure at his wife's compliments, he was unable to suppress a grin this time. "Kate, I think you're free to click that pen as much as you want."

With that, Mr. Bennet got up and retreated into his study. Six women squealing was quite enough to drive anyone mad.

"Oh, girls, I'm so happy." Mrs. Bennet sighed. "You should all remember that you have a wonderful father. Linda, dear, I think that even though you're the youngest Charles Bingley may like you best of all!"

"I think that's possible." Modesty had never been Linda's strong suit. She thought that all boys should bow down before her, an attitude that made Elizabeth want to vomit. "Cause, really, I look a lot older than I actually am."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. The rest of the afternoon was relatively quiet, with Fanny Bennet often wondering what Charles Bingley and the rest of his family were like and saying that she couldn't wait to meet them.


End file.
